


The Taken King

by theladyscribe



Series: Hockey WIP Amnesty [3]
Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: Abandoned Work - Unfinished and Discontinued, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Alternate History, Alternate Universe - World Conquest, M/M, Pittsburgh Penguins
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-21
Updated: 2017-10-21
Packaged: 2019-01-21 00:36:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,918
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12445482
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theladyscribe/pseuds/theladyscribe
Summary: Prince Evgeni has conquered all of Eurasia in the name of his brother. He makes his way east, in search of the edge of the world, and finds himself up against the combined armies of Lord Price and King Sidney. The fighting is fierce, but the Canadians are no match for the Iron Army of Magnitogorsk.A rival monarchs in a vaguely medieval but wildly different history AU.





	The Taken King

**Author's Note:**

> This is an incomplete and abandoned work. It was mostly written on twitter and has been only lightly edited for clarity.

Denis is supreme emperor, G is his right hand. basically Geno is the one in charge of conquering things while Denis stays home and rules the empire.

they (and their fam) amassed maps and info from traders for /years/ before Geno set out on the expansion. which is part of why it only takes him ten years to get from the Urals to Manitoba, where he captures Sidney.

Prince Evgeni and his troops are very good at what they do and what they do is conquer people via a combination of mutually beneficial treaties and force. not always in that order. it's not a bad life - Zhenya rather likes it, actually, likes seeing the world, and it certainly beats being stuck at home actually governing - but he isn't sure what will happen when he reaches the edge of the world. he hoped to prove the earth round, but the longer he travels, the bigger the world seems to get. Zhenya wonders if he'll ever make it home.

anyway, it's here that we find him at the start of The Taken King, conquering and claiming lands in the name of his brother. he's become so good at it that he's surprised to encounter resistance from the eastern Canadians. most peoples simply fall aside these days. it feels good to wage a real fight again. the battle is fierce, well-fought.

the Canadian alliance clearly have some excellent warlords among them. Zhenya's spies have reported that chief among them are Lord Carey, whose people have largely abandoned their homeland around Vancouver (Zhenya has taken the fortress there for himself), and King Sidney of Nova Scotia, a region known more for its seafaring skills than its military might.

Zhenya hoped it would be an uneasy alliance, between competing minor kingdoms and lordships, but Lord Price must be a great orator, for they are by far the most formidable foe the imperial army has faced in quite some time.

luckily, the imperial army is well-disciplined, so their general isn't worried. and while victory is not as swift as he would like, it is certainly decisive, once Zhenya realizes he has King Sidney in the healers' tent with a broken leg. combined with the body of Lord Price found on the battlefield, it seems quite likely that Zhenya is once again victorious, as he is in all things.

maybe it is this hubris that leads to the decision not to kill King Sidney, but instead keep him close. or maybe it is because Zhenya has always been something of a fool when it comes to young men with pretty faces and fire in their eyes.

*

everyone assumes the king is dead, killed in battle, his body probably desecrated by the barbarians, but he's alive. he's terribly injured, will probably have a limp for the rest of his life, but he's alive and healing, cared for.

The man caring for him has not given him a name. Granted, Sidney has not given him a name either. He doesn't think he needs to. Sidney isn't sure where they are. He knows where he was, on the plains of Saskatchewan, but they're in the mountains now, in a fortress of some sort. He's worried this man is with the enemy, but then, if so, why hasn't he contacted anyone? Or killed him? Sidney would be worth just as much dead as he is alive. Maybe more, because then King Evgeni could more easily lay claim to Sidney's throne.

The thought makes him restless, and he wants to leave, to go home, to hopefully reach his capital before it's overrun. He falls out of bed, pain slicing through him from his knee into his hip. he can't fully muffle his pained moan. Footsteps sound outside the room, and soon, the man enters, finding Sidney gasping in pain on the floor.

"What you do?" the man asks.

"I have to go. I need to go home. my--I can't stay here."

The man scoffs. "You not get far on that leg. Stay here, heal."

"I can't," Sidney insists.

"You must," the man says. "We're long way from capital, you never make it."

He helps Sidney back into bed, stuffs more pillows under his leg. "rest now. I'm bring dinner soon." Sidney wants to protest, but he's exhausted. It isn't until just before he drifts to sleep that he realizes-- the man's accent is Russian. He's with the enemy.

In the morning, Sidney pays more attention to his surroundings. At first, he thought they were alone, but he can hear other voices. There are two, no, three others here. Guards, he thinks, and maybe a captain of some sort. Geno is their healer, or at least trained in it.

He needs more information. Where is he? How far behind the lines of King Evgeni's army are they? Could Geno and the guards be overpowered? Or bribed? Or perhaps turned against their king?

It seems unlikely, especially if they know who he is. It's far more likely that they are simply waiting for their king to decide what to do with him. If that is the case, he has little choice but to wait for an opportunity to run.

Sidney's thoughts are interrupted by the arrival of Geno, with breakfast. Geno smiles at him and says, "Good to see you awake. Feel better?"

Sidney shifts to make room for the tray of food and winces. "It still hurts," he admits.

Geno tsks. "I'm get more medicine for you."

Sidney loses track of his days, torn between knowing he needs to heal and knowing that his kingdom is undoubtedly being overrun. He frets. It makes Geno tsk at him more, muttering in Russian about foolish prisoners. Sidney pretends not to understand, smiling bemusedly at him. He isn't sure the ruse works, but there's no way to ask without giving himself away. He does try to ask for news of the front. Geno demurs.

"I can't say. They're not tell me anything. Just a healer, you know."

Sidney nods dejectedly. He'll just have to be patient.

[time-jump wherein Sidney is patient and seduces (or thinks he seduces anyway, possibly is seduced himself) Geno]

Sidney would feel guilty taking a bed with Geno, but it is a means to an end. He has little hope of escape if Geno refuses to help him. Besides, sometimes when Geno must think Sidney is sleeping, he holds conferences with the captain of the guard in his room.

At first, Sidney finds this quite strange, for what need would a healer have to meet with a soldier of war? But slowly, his understanding of Russian improves beyond the rudimentary, and he comes to understand.

He knew he was sleeping with the enemy. He did not know he was sleeping with the king.

The realization makes him ill. He feels betrayed, which is absurd, since Geno--King Evgeni--never truly lied to him. He should murder him in his sleep. It would be easy enough to do, to wait until Geno is fast asleep and cut his throat or strangle him.

And yet. He waits.

He keeps Geno close, does his best not to give himself away, finds ways to suss out information about his campaign. Sidney insinuates himself into Geno's life, continues to seduce Geno in bed, convinces Geno to take him along as a slave when it is time for the army to move.

And when they are close enough to Nova Scotia again, Sidney finally makes his move. He means to kill Geno. He means to murder the lot of them--Geno, the guards, Captain Ovechkin. He knows it will likely end in his death, but if he can kill Geno, his sister might have a chance at defeating Ovechkin and the army.

Sidney makes his plan and sharpens his knife. He can do this. He must do this. It will save his kingdom, even if it means his death. That night, he comes to Geno's bed and lets Geno take him apart. And when Geno is done, Sidney waits and watches as he falls asleep, snoring gently.

Sidney slips the knife from where he's hidden it, and touches it to Geno's throat. One slip, one twist on Geno's part, and he'll be dead. It's comically simple, after months of war followed by months of captivity. Geno frowns in his sleep, the same petulant look he gets when being beaten at chess. Sidney stays his hand.

He pulls the knife away, gathers up the kit he'd stashed for his optimistic escape, and slips out the back of the tent into the night.

He doubts he'll make it much further than the outer edge of the army, but if he will die, at least it will be on his own terms. No one has found him by dawn, so he allows himself a little rest in a small copse of trees, still anticipating the sound of King Evgeni's hounds on his heels. But they never come. He travels for several days on foot, rationing his food and scrounging for scraps in abandoned root cellars.

He arrives back in Nova Scotia hungry and exhausted but alive. His sister is overjoyed to see him, but he warns her that King Evgeni's army may not be far behind.

"We've received news just yesterday that the Russians are in retreat," she says. "They've pulled back."

Sidney shakes his head. It's not possible. King Evgeni is known for conquering every land he sets his mind to. It's almost certainly a trap.

The army has indeed pulled away, though not in a full retreat. Sidney wonders if he missed something, if they're awaiting reinforcements. He tells his advisors to be prepared. They're expecting a siege, a long one. Proclamations are made, and people begin to pour into the capital city. The city guard try to be careful, but there are so many people it is impossible to know who might slip through the cracks.

The days are getting shorter when word comes that a healer from the west wants an audience with Sidney. Thinking perhaps the man will have news of King Evgeni's movements, Sidney grants it. The healer comes in, hunched over his walking stick, his hooded robe covering his face.

"I'm bring news," he says, voice of gravel. "The King say no attack. Will be no siege."

"How do I know what you say is true?" asks Sidney.

The healer straightens, and Sidney can see that he is, in fact, quite tall. He pulls his hood back and says, "I'm say. There be no siege."

Sidney is frozen in place. Geno takes a step toward him but stops when the guards loosen their swords. Sidney can feel their eyes, the way they all shift closer, protective. Geno sinks to his knee.

"I'm not come to attack," he says, voice low.

"Then why?" Sidney asks.

"I'm come to tell you. We retreat. We stay away. I'm go back to my lands, keep my own kingdom." 

Sidney should be relieved, or at least wary. Instead, he feels his stomach lurch. "Your kingdom is far away," he points out.

Geno smiles mischievously. "Not so far as it was."

It startles a laugh from Sidney. "No, I don't suppose it is."

Evgeni rises slowly. "I'm go now. We leave at dawn if you allow."

"Yes, of course."

Evgeni offers him a bow. "King Sidney. Maybe we see again someday."

Sidney nods and bows as well. "Yes. Someday."

Evgeni starts to leave, when a thought occurs to Sidney. "King Evgeni. Wait!"

Evgeni turns, a question in his eyes.

"It would be remiss of me not to invite you to stay the night in my palace. We have guest chambers which I am sure you will find suitable."

"You be most generous to offer."

[they def spend the night together]

Evgeni leaves the next morning as promised, and soon word comes that his army has departed.

Sidney is... despondent. He spends his days adrift, staring westward. He is like this for weeks, before Taylor finally speaks with him.

"You aren't the same, Sidney. What happened to you while you were gone?"

He should shake his head, force himself to focus on his kingdom, but he finds himself telling her everything. He talks for hours, telling her about his captivity, about the way Evgeni cared for him even while keeping his identity from Sidney. He tells her of his gentleness, of his careful ministrations, of the time that passed between them.

"I tried to be cautious. I tried to remember he shouldn't be trusted, that he was one of the enemy, but--" Sidney breaks off. "I thought I might convince him to run with me, to come back here and fight and rule by my side. Obviously, that would never happen." Sidney curls into his sister, holding her tightly. "I miss him."

"Oh, Sidney," she sighs.

It isn't the reaction he expected. She should berate him for literally consorting with their enemy. She should make him renounce his throne and send him away in disgrace. He sits up suddenly. That's it.

"Taylor," he says urgently, "I cannot be king. I don't deserve the crown."

She pulls away from him. "What are you saying?"

"I want to abdicate," he insists. "You can lead our people as well as I can. Better, even. I... I will go. I can be your emissary. Your ambassador."

She takes more convincing, but she finally agrees.

Together, they announce Sidney's abdication, and Taylor is crowned Queen of Nova Scotia, Ruler of the Maritimes. Soon after, they craft a proclamation, to be taken to the rulers of the other kingdoms, to French Canada, to America, to Russia. There are other letters that go with the emissaries, missives reaffirming old ties and offering new ones. The one for Russia is tucked into Sidney's saddlebags, and he and his American guards, Paul and Philip, set out westward for the border of the Russian Empire. The lines on their maps have not yet been redrawn, but they know that King Evgeni has taken the castle at Vancouver as his winter home.

It's a long journey across the plains and over the mountains to Vancouver. They are two weeks out when they are ambushed and captured near Banff by a group of French Canadian mercenaries.

Giroux and his men take them to Vancouver, which is very convenient even if this is not exactly how Sidney intended to arrive in the city.

Giroux takes his prisoners to General Ovechkin, who takes one look at Sidney and smiles like a wolf. "King Evgeni will be very pleased to see this lot," Ovechkin says in Russian, but in English, he says, "an invading warlord, from the looks of him. We'll see how he likes the dungeons." 

They gag him and blindfold him and cart him away, tossing him rather unceremoniously in a room with a stone floor.It's warm, though, and Sidney's arms aren't so tightly bound that he can't push away his blindfold.

The room is lush, with a bearskin carpet and a bed piled high with warm blankets. There's a fire in the hearth, and a small table with a chess set. Sitting pillows are stacked in a corner. Sidney makes his way to the carpet and would climb onto the bed, but his knee aches from the long journey and the rough treatment of the last few days. Besides, it is quite warm here by the fire.

When Sidney wakes, there is someone fussing with the ropes that bind him, tsking as he undoes them.

"I'll skewer Sasha for this," he mutters in Russian.

"Please do," Sidney murmurs, causing Evgeni to startle.

Evgeni recovers quickly, and he undresses Sidney under the guise of making sure there are no untended wounds, taking care to inspect every inch of him for bruises and scrapes. Sidney knows he's thin from traveling and bruised from the rough treatment of the mercenaries.

Evgeni takes his time, kissing his way along Sidney's body, making him shiver as he licks along bruises and scars. Sidney tries to hurry him, but he bites gently at Sidney's shoulder and moves inexorably slower.

"Geno, изволить," he whines, and finally, Geno touches him where he wants him to, his hands still impossibly gentle as he takes Sidney apart.

When Geno has finished his inspection, they both lie gasping and languid, warm by the fire. Geno brushes his fingers through Sidney's hair, and then Sidney remembers—

"I have a letter for you. From my sister." He reaches for his clothes to find the crumpled letter. Evgeni takes it from him and frowns as he reads it.

"You abdicate? Why?"

"It's hard to be king of a country you don't live in," Sidney says.

Evgeni raises an eyebrow. "I'm not in Russia for many years."

Sidney laughs and pokes him in the side. "It's hard to be king of a country when your heart is in another," he amends.

Evgeni stills. "You mean--?"

Sidney nods. "I want to be with you, however you'll have me."

"And if I'm say no?"

Sidney swallows. He hadn't thought of the possibility that Evgeni might say no. "Then I will go back to Nova Scotia," he says, feeling ill.

Evgeni touches his face, and Sidney is surprised to find that he is wiping away tears.

"I'm never let you leave," Geno whispers against his jaw. "I'm keep you here forever. You never leave without me."

Sidney sighs, tilts into him. "You promise?"

"I'm promise."

"Good."

[end]


End file.
